Ishan Kishan etched his name into domestic cricket folklore with a blistering 270-run masterclass against South Zone on Day 2 of the 2026 Duleep Trophy final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday.
How The Innings Unfolded
Kushagra’s maiden Duleep Trophy hundred was his sixth in first-class cricket. After the milestone he switched gears, lofting spinners Shreyas Gopal and Tripurana Vijay for sixes. Smaran off Vijay. The historic knock from Ishan rewrote several decades-old domestic milestones: East Zone In Dominating Position East Zone now sit in a commanding position with three days remaining. Barring a miracle, Kishan’s knock has given East one hand on the trophy.
On a hot and humid day in Chennai, the East Zone captain Ishan produced a marathon 334-ball innings spanning 522 minutes across two days. He finished with 270 (30 fours, 7 sixes) as East Zone posted 708 all out in 163 overs – their highest-ever Duleep Trophy total and only the third time 700-plus has been scored at Chepauk in first-class cricket. Ishan Kishan resumed Day 2 on 111 not out after reaching his century on the opening evening. He and fellow Jharkhand batter Kumar Kushagra (101 off 132 balls, 8 fours and 5 sixes) added 230 for the fifth wicket off 290 balls. Kishan then added 140 with Anukul Roy (45) for the sixth wicket. The left-hander brought up his second first-class double century – and first in the Duleep Trophy – off 270 balls with a cover drive off part-timer Devdutt Padikkal. He reached 250 off 301 balls before retiring hurt with cramps just before tea. He returned later, added 20 more runs, and was finally caught at long-on by R. The red-soil pitch is expected to deteriorate and offer turn, making South Zone’s chase of 708 a formidable task. Brief scores: East Zone 708 in 163 overs (Ishan Kishan 270, Kumar Kushagra 101, Shikhar Mohan 85, Abhimanyu Easwaran 72; Tripurana Vijay 4-180, Chama Milind 2-88) vs South Zone.
